The place for all things American Idol. Info, snark and real opinions.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Top 7 Perform: Rock Week

Welcome back. Well we are down to our Final 7, the Judges Save has yet to be used, and the males on this show are disappearing quicker than Nicki Minaj after the Results Show. Word has it that she doesn't like to say Goodbye to any of the departing contestants. But that's a story for another day, tonight the contestants are singing Rock songs. Like always we have come up with our weekly rankings, so check em out and enjoy the recap:

Right off the bat Burnell missed the first lyric. OK. This is the first time we saw Burnell not do a ballad. He tries to get into the song, but his voice doesn't really quicken because the song is fast, his tone is like he was doing a mid-tempo ballad. This is obviously not in Burnell's comfort zone. He stuck to his guns and didn't change himself even though the song changed it up. I liked seeing Burnell move around the stage. Most times he just stands there and has some hand movements. It was a nice thing to see. Vocals were alright, but performance was up there. BKeith=Assumes Rock is not his thing. Looks uncomfortable in a song. Should have changed it up to make it more comfortable for him.Nicki=Still was lovable even if rock isn't his thing. Should always give himself.Randy=Everything was so behind the beat. Timing was so off.Mariah=Proud that he went outside of his typical song. Liked that he had fun with the song. Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. This wasn't Burnell's style but he did alright with it. Nothing outstanding though, and possibly forgettable given that he is going first.

Group Performance #1

Angie & Lazaro

(Crazy Little Thing Called Loved-Queen)

Not really good. They do okay for a bit, then Lazaro missed his words a little, and it messed with the timing. When Lazaro doesn't know what he is doing he gets quiet. Angie was as confident as ever. CNicki= Nice twist. Looked comfortable until he forget the lyrics again. Angie sounded good all around.Randy=Angie did great, but Lazaro did well until he forgot the lyrics. Mariah=Makes it tough when one person forgets the lyrics in a duet, but Angie tried her best. Keith=Not a great duet. Too kitschy. A bit variety show feel. Likes the way Lazaro looks.Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. Angie did well, Lazaro did alright, except forgetting his lyrics again.

Solo Performances #2

Kree Harrison

(Piece Of My Heart-Janis Joplin)

This was a pretty rock solid pick. The song definitely seemed like Kree knew this song and was very comfortable with it. Her voice suits this kind of song. It's impressive that she can do the slow and steady country or do some rock and soul. Tonight Kree amped up her energy. This song has been done on the show several times, but this version is definitely up there with best ever performed on the Idol stage. She just sounded entirely on point, she didn't change the song up, but she didn't have to. ARandy=Now the show has finally started. Rocked the stage. "In It To Win It".Mariah=Incredible, has an innate ability to choose her songs. Tonight's performance is one of her favorites.Keith=Is hard to critique. The boots she wears with the high heels seemed to hold back her performance. [But we learn she has a pinched nerve and can't really lift her arm]Nicki=Was magnificent. Is stunning, everything is so natural. Seems like she is already established. Obsessed with her.Do The Judges & I Agree? Definitely. Kree is a star. If there was anything to comment on it was her performance and we find out she is out there with a pinch nerve. Can't complain about that. True professional, no excuses kinda person. Group Performance #2

Candice & Burnell

(The Letter-The Box Tops)

When I think of classic rock songs this doesn't quite go straight to the mind, but here we are. I like their voices together. Candice obviously overpowers Burnell but he holds his own. This was actually a better song for him than his solo performance. This was a really nice duet, much better than the first one. A-Mariah=Proven they could sing anything. Did justice to the song. A+ amazing.Keith= Loved it. Loved this song better for Burnell. Candice was the galaxy to Burnell's shining star.Nicki=Candice's voice is clearly superior. Ran out of words for her voice. Burnell has to stay true to himself in every song like Kree and Candice does. Randy=Much better for Burnell. OMG Candice. Brilliant for both.Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. This was a far superior song for Burnell, but Candice just destroyed the song, from her first note to her last. Solo Performance #3

Janelle Arthur

(You May Be Right-Billy Joel)

I like this song choice, it allowed her to stay true to the song but it also her to put her country spin to it. She seemed super comfortable on stage. Her voice probably wasn't as strong as it has been the past couple weeks but her comfort level on stage really shone through. She seems like a different person than she did a few weeks ago. B+Keith=Love how she works the stage, comes out like a professional. Not the best song choice, but still came out barreling. Every week she has gotten better and better.Nicki=The performance was exceptional. Girls are gonna love her because she is so relatable. Seems like everyone's best friend.Randy=Authenticity at its best. Likes the vest with the fringe. Randy wants to wear her vest.Mariah=Loved the vibrato. Was compelled to hear her sing. Really enjoyed watching her. Do The Judges & I Agree? For sure. It maybe wasn't her best vocal but it was still solid and her performance level was outstanding.

Lazaro Arbos

(We Are The Champion-Queen)

This is definitely a class rock song, it's a big challenge for Lazaro. The first few notes were as flat as a pancake but it definitely picked up. He seemed more determined to do well this week. I still think he is the 7th best voice left in this competition, but it was definitely a really good performance for him. If we compare him to Kree or Candice than it's not close, but really good for him. BNicki=Loves the song, and he did it justice.Randy= He did a good job. Mariah=Did a good job on a song that is an anthem. Got to relax within the song.Keith=Was a really good song choice. Played into his dramatics in a good way.Do The Judges & I Agree? Pretty much. Lazaro did a good job for Lazaro. For the competition? Not as sure.

Group Performance # 3

Amber, Kree, & Janelle

(It's Still Rock & Roll To Me-Billy Joel)

This song doesn't seem to match them that great. They did what they could and they were able to handle it pretty well because they are all great singers and performers. There were times when the song dipped because someone or all of them dropped the beat. When they were in sync they did a really nice job with it. BRandy=Wow, wow, wow. So good.They were like a group. Mariah=Did a great job. Keith=Worked really well together. Nicki=Could have done without the song choice for them. None of them stood out. Eyes went to Amber.Do The Judges & I Agree? Kinda. Nicki was more what I was thinking, that they were ok, but it didn't do much.Solo Performance # 4

Candice Glover

(I Can't Get No Satisfaction-Rolling Stones)

I was waiting all night for a Rolling Stones song, and I'm glad it came from Candice. Oh I love the grit that she puts into the "I Can't Get No". She kept true to the original but really put her own spin on it. The way that she went deep into the groove of the song was really original and fun. I could have listened to this song for another 5 minutes, it was that good. AMariah=Every single performance brings another part of her on stage. Keith=Voice is so freaking good, and just wails with so much power. Her power never wanes no matter where it goes. Nicki=Voice was amazing, but the song choice put her to sleep.Randy=Loves the rock and attitude to the song. Maybe wasn't the best song choice, but she put everything into it.Do The Judges & I Agree? For sure. They didn't like the song choice, but I did, but her voice nonetheless was amazing.

Amber Holcomb

(What About Love-Heart)

This is a cool song choice, one that hasn't been done to death on the Idol stage before. It allows her to start slow but then really get into the rock aspect of the song. I liked how this song allowed her to sing some really high moments and then stay there, she was just singing at really high level. She really seemed comfortable on stage tonight. Her voice was killer tonight, right on point at every point. AKeith=Great song choice.Brought out the best in her voice.Nicki=Pulled her in emotionally. Was striking, she looked striking, everything complimented her.Randy=Great song choice, and loved that she didn't lose herself in the song. Very well done. Excellent.Mariah=Amazing. Was able to feature herself and get into the rock element. Looked beautiful.Do The Judges & I Agree? Definitely. Amber looked and sounded great tonight.

Angie Miller

(Bring Me To Life-Evanescence)

Back at the piano goes Angie to begin the song. She lost her way a bit the past couple of weeks, she hasn't been Bottom 3 or anything but the judges and producers haven't been that high on her. I love the song choice, this is a really great song and it's a song that hasn't been done to death on the show, actually I don't know if it's ever been done. This was easily her best performance in several weeks. She really seemed comfortable in this genre. A-Nicki=This was a perfect song choice. Voice sounded amazing. Can't wait until she gets back on the piano fully.Randy=Loves that she was able to showcase herself in this genre. Great dynamics with this song. Mariah=This was the epitome of her. Really appreciated this song and her, perfect match.Keith=Loves the voice. But wants to make sure she feels the song and fall into it more.Do The Judges & I Agree? Sure. She did a great job tonight, far better than she has been the past couple of weeks. Great song choice for sure.

PredictionsBottom 31. Lazaro2. Burnell3. Janelle

Going Home?Lazaro. I think he did a fine job and rebounded from the mess of last week, but he is still so inferior to the rest of the bunch. I can't even compare him to Candice or Kree because it's not fair to them. As long as the judges don't do anything silly and use the save on him, if he is Bottom 3, and he should be, then he will be going home.

Final Thoughts
*I loved that there weren't any ballads. I liked seeing people that usually did the slow stuff have to get out of their comfort zone. I think it brought out some creativity as well.

*They had video segments on the housemates talking about each other and the person that I really enjoyed the most was Candice. Her personality is fantastic. She is very quick, very real, and very funny. She is very enjoyable on stage and off.

*Overall a much better night than last week, no real disasters. As a whole this was probably the best week since Top 10 began. That's it. Another performance night in the books. Tomorrow(unless the save is used) another person will be sent packing. So we shall see what happens, so until next time, see ya!